Aeroplane compass and inclinometer.



H. L. E. JOHNSON.

AEROPLANE COMPASS AND INULINOMETER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 12, 1912.

Patnted May 26, 191;

WITNESSES INVENTIOR 2 :07 L

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIoE.

HENRY L; E. JOHNSON, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

AEROPLANE COMPASS AND INCLINOMETER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY L. E. JoHN- SON, of Washington, District of Columbia,- have invented a new and useful Improveirent in Aeroplane Compasses and Inclinometers which invention is fully set forth in the following specification.

This, invention relates to improvements in means for determining the direction of movement of an aeroplane and its inclination from the normal or horizontal plane,

and has for its objects to enable the aviator to determine at a glance the direction in which the aeroplane is traveling, and whether or not the aeroplane is inclined from the normal or horizontal plane, and if so, to determine the angle or degree of inolination and the direction of the inclination; that is, whether the aeroplane is inclined from the normal or horizontal plane in any direction, either forward, rearward, laterally, or from points between these cardinal points, such as diagonally or from corner to corner.

It is of great importance that the aviator should be able to lay his course in any desired or given direction, and maintain that direction when traveling from point to point, and this is frequently a' matter of much difiiculty, since the aviators view of the earth may be obscured by darkness at night, clouds, smoke, mistor rain, or he may be unfamiliar with the territory over which he is traveling. If, however, he knows the compass direction which he wishes to take, and, lays his course in that direction, it is only necessary that he hold the aeroplane on its course, and this he is enabled to do by the-present invention, in which a compassis employed for this purpose.

It is of the utmost importance that the aviator should know at all times the angle of inclination and the direction of inclination of the aeroplane, in order that he may maintain the angle and direction of inclination in the position necessary to accomplish any desired result. And in case of any depar-ture from the desired angle or direction of-inclination, it is highly desirable that he should be immediately inform ed thereof, in

. order that the samemay be corrected, This of inclination before the same has reached the point where the machine would get beyond the aviators control and fall to the earth.

By the present invention, I provide means whereby the slightest departure from the normal or horizontal plane'will at once be indicated to the aviator, and the direction of such inclination be indicated invariably and with absolute precision.

In my invention, I provide a universally mounted plumb or pendulous body, which, by the action of gravity, will always stand normal or perpendicular to the horizontal plane, which body is provided with an indicating point, operating in connection with a universal scale mounted on'and turning with the aeroplane, which scale is so constructed that it will disclose not only the angle which the aeroplane itself may assume with relation to the horizontal plane, butwill also indicate the direction of inclination, so that the aviator sees at once, and at a glance, just where the highest and the low.- est points of his aeroplane are when the same is inclined from the horizontal.

, Patented May 26, 1914. Application filed November 12, 1912. Serial No. 739,976.

I preferably construct the plumb 'or penample, secured to the aeroplane, and this plumb or pendulous body has an indicator point, which always points either straight upward or straight downward, according to the form of construction, no matter what the angle of inclination of the aeroplane itself may be. Associated with this pointer is my universal scale, which, preferably, is

in the form of a curved surface, which may be, and usually is, a' segment of a hollow sphere. This curved surface has marked thereon, and extending at rightanglesthere-' to, two cardinal-lines, oneo which extends fore and aft offi the aeroplan ;-when the .de-

vice is mount-edfithereon, and parallel with the medial fore and aft line of the machine, and the other of which extends at right anglsto said medial fore and aft line. In;

addition to said cardinal lines, .I provide other lines extending from the point of intersection of the cardinal lines, and at given and regular angles to said cardinal lines. Furthermore, with the center of the universal mounting of the pointer as a center, I strike on said curved surface parallel circles spaced that they will disclose, in conjunction with the plumb pointer, the angle of inclination from the normal or horizontal ofthe aeroplane upon which the scale is mounted, and the lines corresponding to lines of longitude disclose the direction of such inclination. Said scale is rigidly fixed to and turns with the aeroplane in every direction.

The plumb pointer may be arranged to point either upward or downward. When the same points downward, the scale will be located beneath the pointer with its concave side upward, and with the indicating lines above mentioned on its concave surface. When the plumb pointer points upward, the said scale is placed above the pointer with its concave side downward, and in this instance the said surface is preferably of any suitable transparent material, such as glass, with the scale lines either on the concave or convex side thereof, but preferably on the concave side, in order to protect the same from injury.-

The universal mounting for the plumb pointer maybe of any suitable character, such, for example, as a gimbal mounting, and may be in the form ofa suitable body mounted in gimbals, to the end that the same may always remain in a horizontalposition. This body is suitably weighted so .as to insure its always maintaining (under the action of gravity) a horizontal position with the pointer normal (perpendicular) to the horizontal plane. Such weighting'may be accomplished by placing the center of gravity of the body itself below the plane of the mounting, or a weight, such as a lead ball, may be attached, for example, to the wire or rod constituting the pointer. In one of the mechanical expressions of the inventiveidea, such body may be in the form of a compass mounted on gimbals, and having a vertically extended pointer secured thereto, said compass having the Weight thereof so disposed as to place the center of gravity well below the horizontal plane extending through the gimbals. One material advantage that is secured by mounting the plumb pointer on a compass resides in the fact that the aviator has at all times his inclinometer and his compass located immediately before him at the same point, and at a single glance may determine not only his compass direction of travel, but the angle and direction of inclination of the aeroplane. Moreover, this contributes greatly to the compactness of the device as a whole.

The inventive idea involved in my invention is capable of receiving a variety of mechanical expressions, some of which, for the this purpose.

purpose of illustrating the invention,,are

shown in the' accompanying drawings. Said drawings, however, are for the purpose of illustrating the invention only, and are not to be taken as defining the limits of the invention, reference being bad to the following specification and the appended claims for Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view showinglthe compass and inclinometer combined, with the pointer of the inclinometer extending downward, and. ,the 'scale thereof with its concave surface f turnedupward; Fig. 2 is a transverse section through "my inclinometer, with the plumb pointer mounted on a body, such as a disk, said pointer pointing downward and the scale with its concave surface upward; Fig. 2 is aper'spective view of the plumb pointer of Fig. 2' and the disk body upon which the same is mounted; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of my combined compass and inclinometer, with the scale mounted with,

its concave side downward and the pointer .mounted on the compass and directed upward; and Fi 4 is a perspective viewof a disk form 0 mounting for the plumb pointer when the scale is mounted concave surface downward and the inclinometer is used without a compass.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a suitable frame capable of being attached, as

by screws through the openings 2, to any desired or suitable part of the aeroplane, and 3 is a ring supported to turn in the standards of the frame 1 on the trunnions or rods 4. Within the ring 3 is mounted a body 5 of any suitable material and construction, having trunnions 6, 6, taking bearing in' the ring 3 at points in a line atright angles to the points where the trunnion rods 4, 4, are

secured to said ring. As shown in Figs. 2, 2 and 4, this body is in the form of a-disk Whose trunnions 6, 6, are 'well above the center of gravity of said body.' A plumb rod 7 depends from the body 5 in the form shown in Figs. 2 and 2, and may be, and prefer- I ably is, ,provided with a weight 8, in the form of a lead ball, the plumb rod 7 being sharpened below the ball to form the pointer 9. It will be seen that no matter how or in what .direction the aeroplane may be inclined from the horizontal, the plumb-rod '7 (Figs. 1 and 2) will always remain vertical, and the pointer 9 will point vertically down ward. I

Mounted on the aeroplane so as to turn therewith at all times is the'concave scale 10, which, as here shown, is mounted directly on, and rigidly secured to, the frame 1. The

surface of this concave scale is preferably a surface is parallel with the are described by concave surface has drawn thereon in any ,segment of a hollow sphere, whose concave '5 position thereon, and the cardinal line 12 is.

at right angles to the cardinal line '11, the two lines intersecting at the pole of the seg- 'Inent constituting t e concave surface 10.

The portion of the concave surface lying be-' 10 tween the cardinal lines is divided by other lines 13,13, into uniform portions, and there is drawn on the concave surface a series of parallelcircles 14, 15, 16, and so on, struck from the center ofthe gimbal mounting and 15 at regular angular distances apart, as 5,

, etc.

Instead of a disk, as shown in Figs. 2 and 2*, it may be, and preferably is, in the form of a compass 17 (Fig. 1). The entire device may, if desired, be suitably illuminated by any of the ordinary devices employed for illuminating compasses on shipboard, but as such illuminating device forms no part of the present invention, it is not shown on the drawings.

The operation of the device thus far described is as follows :-Referring to Flg. 1,

the device is attached to the aeroplane With the cardinal line 11 in a plane parallel with 86 the medial fore and aft vertical plane ex-- plane is at once determined by observing the.

compass, and'any departure from the horizontal in the inclination of the machine will be at once indicated by the pointer 9, incon junction with the scale on the concave surface 10, which will not only indicate the degree of inclination, but will also indicate the direction of inclination, and which is the lowest point or part of the aeroplane when 5 0 so inclined. This enables the aviator-to,

change the inclination, if desired, or to know whenthe machine is beingheld at anyl'desired inclination. No matter where may be the lowest point of the aeroplane, or the degree of inclination or dip,both will be instantly and absolutely indicated by the position of the P inter 9 with relation to the scale on the concave'surface'.

Referring now to Fig. 3, the compass'l'? 60 is mounted on gimbals in the frame 1, after.

the manner shown in Fig. 1, and co'o'perating therew th is a plumb rod or pointer 7 pointing upward. 's pointer 7 may be ,mountedupon th pass in any suitable be manner, as by drilling a hole the glass the body 5 being in the form of cover of the compass or otherwise. Secured to the frame 1, with its concave side downward, is a segment of a hollow sphere 10', preferably of glass or othertransparent material, having the cardinal lines 11 and 12 located with respect to the, aeroplane the same as thc cardinal lines 11 and 12 of Fig.

1, and there are also provided the same radial and circular lines heretofore described in connection with Figs. land 2. These several lines may be either upon the exterior or interior of the transparent segment 10, but preferably are upon the interior thereof, with the segment 10 mounted so that the pointer 7 points to the pole or zero angle of the scale When the aeroplane is in the normal or horizontal position. Instead of the compass 17, shown in Fig. 3, there may be employed the body 5 of Fig. 4, with. the indicating pointer or rod 7 mounted thereon, and. in both of the constructions shown in Figs. 3 and 4, said pointer may, and preferably does, have a small ball or tip 18, preferably of some prominent color, as red, inoorder that it may quickly attract the eye, and its position thus quickly and accurately located. The operation, of this emhodiment of the invention is precisely the same as that of the embodiments illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. The compass indicates the direction of flight of the aeroplane, and the pointer 7 in conjunction with the scale, indicates the angle of inclination, and the highest point of inclination, the pointer 7 always pointing toward that part of the scale which'corresponds to the highest part of the inclined aeroplane.

It will thus be seen that the compass at all times indicates the direction of flight, thus enabling the aviator to hold his aeroplane on its course at all times (day or night), even when lost in clouds, fog or mist, or under other obscureconditions of proportions, materials and adjustments of F the several parts, within the confines of the appended, claims, may be made without departing from my invention. Y

While I have herein described my invention in connection with its use on an aeroplane, it will, of course, be understood that it may be advantageously used in connection with any support orplatform where on the deck of a vessel, where it is desired to so'place the freight in the vessel as to cause her to normally rest on a level keel.

What is claimed is 1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a gravity-controlled pointermounted on a compass 'having uni: versal bearings, and a member having a concave surface opposite said pointer having a scale indicating relative angular movementof said pointer and surface.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a gravity-controlled pointer mounted on a compass having universal-bearings, with a member having a concave surface opposite said pointer having a scale thereon, indicating relative angle lar displacement of said pointer and surface and the direction of such displacement.

3. -In a device of thecharacter described, the combination of a gravity-controlled pointer mounted on a compass hung in universal bearings, with a member havinga concave surface having two cardinal lines thereon intersecting each other at right angles and at a point vertically opposite said pointer when the device is on a horizontal platform.

4. Inia device of the character described, the combination of a body hung in universal bearings and a gravity controlled vertical pointersecured to said body, with a member having a concave surface in the form of a segment of a sphere vertically opposite said pointer; said surface having thereon a V series of equally spaced lines radiating from 'a pole or zero angle of said sphere and also 40 having a series of equally spaced parallel circles struck on .said surface with said pole or zero point as a center.

5. In a device of the character described, [the combination of a compass hung in uni.- versal bearings whereby the said compass is maintained horizontal by the action of gravity, and a vertically projecting pointer rigidly secured tosaid compass, with a mem-- her having a concave surface in the form of 0 a segment of a sphere having its pole or zero point opposite said pointer when. the device is on a horizontal platform, said surface being provided with two cardinal lines intersecting each other at right angles. and at said pole or zero point on said surface.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination of a compass hung .in gim- :ba1 bearings whereby the compass will maintain a horizontal position under the action of gravity, and a vertically projecting pointer rigidly secured on said compass, with a member having a concave surface in the form of a segment of a sphere whose pole or zero angle is opposite the pointer when the device is on a horizontal platform, said surface being providedwith a series of equally spaced lines radiating from said- 'pole and with a series of equally spaced circular lines struck on said surface with said pole as a center.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing'witnesses. Y

HENRY L. E. JOHNSON;

Witnesses: p

' S. T. CAMERON, W. B. KERKAM. 

